Post Hair Loss Questions and Get Answers

I am a 24 year old man and my scalp hair is miniaturizing in the middle.  I fear that I am going bald. How can I stop it?  What is the reason? How can I make my hair grow?  Please advise me?

You are most likely experiencing androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness), the most common reason men and women lose their hair.  Treatment options such as Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil) are the best options for this type of hair loss and when used together, give you the best to treat baldness and more rarely stimulating hair regrowth.  They are not miracle cures so reasonable expectations need to be developed and maintained.

Consult with a physician about the benefits, limitations, and possible side effects with these medications.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: bald, hair grow, androgenic alopecia, male pattern baldness, Propecia, finasteride, Rogaine, minoxidil, hair loss, treat baldness, hair regrowth

Hi, I would like to inquire:

a) Does Provillus works for [tag]alopecia areata[tag] in female patients and what is the response rate?
b) When usage is stopped, will hair loss happen again?
c) Are there any side effects for long term usage of Provillus?
d) Is there a formula for proportion of various essential oils for treament of alopecia areata using aromatherapy?

Provillus contains active ingredient minoxidil which is FDA approved as a hair loss treatment.  This however, is the only ingredient that has been clinically studies and proven to fight male and female baldness. Therefore, in my opinion, Provillus may be effective, but you are better off spending your money on Rogaine for women or generic minoxidil, which is significantly cheaper and will administer the same benefit.  Because there is no real baldness cure, stopping the use of any medication will result in the loss of benefit.  This means that balding will most likely continue in cases of androgenic alopecia however, in your case, even if hair regrowth occurs, there is no guarantee that it won’t happen again, even in other areas of the scalp.  On a positive note, in many cases, men or women with alopecia areata don’t necessarily have to spend their life on a particular medication.

Though many supposed herbal treatments claim to have no side effects, I have found that in many cases, this is untrue.  Read more about Provillus and its benefit, limitation, and potential side effects.

Technorati Tags: Provillus, hair loss, side effects, minoxidil, FDA approved, hair loss treatment, female baldness, Rogaine, baldness cure, balding, androgenic alopecia, hair regrowth, alopecia

If you are on Propecia (finasteride) to fight against hair loss, you may want to consider switching to Proscar. 

Though Proscar contains a higher dosage (5mg), both of these hair loss treatment options contain active ingredient finasteride.  Given that balding men should only take 1mg per day, how can one successfully use Proscar to treat baldness?  How do you split a Proscar pill to take 1mg per day?  Is there any benefit to switching to the 5 mg tablet when you are conveniently taking 1 mg a day?

Visit our hair restoration forum to interact with members who have made the switch from Propecia to Proscar, how to take it successfully, and how it has helped them save money.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: Propecia, finasteride, hair loss, Proscar, hair loss treatment, balding, treat baldness

“Let the buyer beware” is an important catchphrase to memorize when considering many of the hair loss treatment options marketed heavily in the media. Many of these popular treatments will promise the assurance of results or your money back guaranteed! Though these radiant offers are quite striking, failure to deliver the promised results may bring your money back, but what about your hair?

Below is a summary and product review of 3 popular hair loss products on the market today. Follow the links for more detailed information about each product below.

Provillus, making promises to “re-grow beautiful healthy hair” consists of a topical treatment containing minoxidil 5% (same as Rogaine) and azelaic acid (a supposed DHT blocker but to my knowledge has not been formally tested as to its efficacy to treat baldness). Their topical solution is in fact, similar, if not exactly the same as Xandrox, also used to treat baldness. Provillus also consists of an oral solution that contains a number of “all-natural” ingredients such as saw palmetto some of which have anecdotal evidence suggesting some level of efficacy in inhibiting DHT (the hormone responsible for female and male pattern baldness). To learn whether or not this product really works, read this detailed product review.

Hairmax MD is a topical formula to be applied to the scalp twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. Containing many ingredients such as Vitamin E, aloe vera, jojoba oil, and flower pollen extract, this “all-natural” hair loss remedy makes claims that it is “guaranteed to work or your money back” and promises to deliver “fuller, thicker hair”. Does this hair loss product usually deliver what it promises? Read this detailed product review to find out!

Technorati Tags: hair loss treatment, hair loss, minoxidil, Rogaine, azelaic acid, DHT, treat baldness, Provillus, male pattern baldness, Vitamin E, aloe vera, jojoba oil, flower pollen extract, hair loss remedy, thicker hair, hair loss product

New hair loss products are born every day often promising great results but seldom delivering them.  But though it is easy for us, being emotional about our balding condition, to buy into claims of success, you are encouraged to look for real proof that a product really does what it claims.  Examples include scientific proof, obtaining a list of and researching each active ingredient, third party clinical studies documenting its success, and real satisfied patient testimonies with before/after picture verification. 

We were recently contacted by a company that swears their product (Satura Rosta) may be the answer to our hair loss woes.  But claims of success mean nothing without proof.  Could this be the baldness cure everyone is looking for? Click here with skepticism and demand evidence that proves this product has any level of benefit for the bald.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: hair loss, balding, Satura Rosta, baldness cure, bald

You may have heard some controversy over the benefit of Propecia (finasteride) for the long term.  How effective is it after 1 year?  How about after 5 years?  Is Propecia only postponing the inevitable or does it have a long term benefit?  

Forum members and medical hair loss doctor and expert Dr. Beehner, who is recommended on the Hair Transplant Network share their opinions on this highly important topic.  Click here to read other and offer your own thoughts on this hot topic of discussion on our hair restoration forum.

Bill Seemiller - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: Propecia, finasteride, hair loss, hair restoration

Many balding men want to find that “one” hair loss treatment option that will best treat baldness.  But in a world where no cure exists, perhaps a combination of proven treatment options can be of greater benefit.  Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil both work differently and have proven to fight against alopecia.  Which one works better?  Is there a benefit to using one over the other?  Will a combination treatment increase my chances of stimulating hair regrowth?

Click here to read how others have successfully used both medications and why a combination treatment may be superior to one over the other.  You are encouraged to contribute your thoughts and experiences on our hair restoration forum.

Bill Seemiller - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: balding, hair loss treatment, treat baldness, Propecia, finasteride, Rogaine, minoxidil, alopecia, hair regrowth, hair restoration

Based on the recent FDA “approval” of laser hair treatment, specifically the Lexington Hairmax laser comb, there has been a lot of controversy on our hair loss forum regarding its efficacy as a hair loss treatment.  Should balding men and women put their faith in the power of lasers to restore their hair?  If so, how effective is it as a stand alone treatment?  Does it work better when combined with other medical therapies?  Did the FDA really approve or endorse it?

These are important questions men and women of alopecia should be able to answer when considering low level laser therapy.   Click here to read other and contribute your thoughts to this important discussion on our hair restoration forum.

Bill Seemiller - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog 

Technorati Tags: laser hair treatment, Hairmax, laser comb, hair loss treatment, balding, low level laser therapy, hair restoration

They say finasteride is for men between 18 to 41, so after 41 we should stop using it?

It would be a good idea to seek a physician’s advice on this however, many men well past 41 years of age use Propecia with great success to both stop hair loss and more rarely, regrow hair.  Balding men who start this treatment soon after they start losing hair have the best chance at success with this medication.

In addition, combining this treatment option with Rogaine (minoxidil) will give you the greatest chance to treat baldness and stimulate hair regrowth.

Don’t expect miracles as non-surgical hair loss treatment options rarely cause significant hair regrowth.  Surgical hair restoration is really the only proven treatment that will regrow hair in completel bald areas.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: finasteride, Propecia, hair loss, regrow hair, Balding, losing hair, Rogaine, minoxidil, treat baldness, hair regrowth, hair loss treatment, hair regrowth, hair restoration, bald

This insightful information was posted on our hair restoration forum by Dr. Paul Shapiro of Bloomington, MN who is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.

The studies on Propecia, (finasteride 1mg pill) for hair loss treatment were done at the 1mg dose so we do not have any good medical studies to suggest the .5mg will or will not work. I always suggest that anyone taking finasteride for the first time do it as suggested: at the 1mg dose and keep constant for 1 year. Then after you and your physician have a good idea of how effective Propecia has been you can start to adjust the dose if need be.

If you start on the .5mg dose and do not have a good response how will you be able to tell if the poor response was due to the low dose or you are just one of the few (10%) of men it does not work for?

As for the side effects: They are so rare at the 1mg dose I don’t think there would be a statistically significant difference between the 1mg and the .5mg dose.

Prior to doing hair transplants I worked as a Family Doctor until 2000. In my practice we used Proscar, (finasteride 5mg) and it was rare to see side effects even at the higher 5 mg dose.

Technorati Tags: Propecia, finasteride, hair loss treatment, hair transplants, Proscar